Current procedures for collecting effluent from an individual during a medical or diagnostic procedure pose various sanitation problems, among other problems. In many cases, the individual is not connected to an appropriate receptacle for collecting effluent during a procedure, permitting spillage, contamination, noise and stench of body fluids and gases to escape during or after the performance of the procedure. Also, it may be necessary for diagnostic purposes to observe the effluent of the individual, and to collect all or some of the expelled effluent during a procedure. This is often inconvenient or difficult when following presently known techniques.
For example, the diagnostic performance of gastrointestinal imaging, including but not limited to CT imaging, and others, is facilitated by distending a desired body part prior to and during the diagnostic procedure. Ideally, distention is maintained throughout the procedure to obtain the most accurate image. Currently, it is known to distend the colon or other body parts of an individual prior to and during examination by direct connection of an insufflator to the proximal end of a rectal catheter inserted into the rectum of the individual. With this device, air or CO2, for example, is introduced into the colon. Due to cost prohibitions, however, insufflation equipment is used with multiple individuals. In this regard, it is essential that the equipment not be contaminated from use by any other patient. Frequently, effluent, such as stool, is expelled from the patient during the insufflation procedure, and often contacts and thus contaminates the insufflation equipment.